In a series of experiments,
researchers from Texas A&M University found that people with poor self-control were able to establish greater control when they paid close attention to the quantities of unhealthy foods they consumed because simply paying attention made them more quickly satisfied, the Journal of Consumer Research reported.
In one interesting study, a group of people were asked to eat either a healthy or an unhealthy snack. Some of them were asked to count how many times they swallowed while eating the snack, according to a Texas A&M statement.
A night of drinking should be followed by two or three alcohol free days, doctors have advised.
The liver needs time to recover if people are consuming more than just a small alcoholic drink, the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has said.
Government advice is a maximum of 21 units per week for women and 28 for men - but the RCP said it should also take into account how often people drink.
The Department for Health said it had no plans to change its guidance.
Sir Ian Gilmore, special adviser on alcohol and former president of the RCP, told the BBC: "In addition to quantity, safe alcohol limits must also take into account frequency."
"There is an increased risk of liver disease for those who drink daily or near daily compared with those who drink periodically or intermittently."
"We recommend a safe alcohol consumption limit of between 0 and 21 units a week for men and 0 and 14 units a week for women provided the total amount is not drunk in one or two bouts and that there are two to three alcohol free days a week."
"At these levels, most individuals are unlikely to come to harm."
Sir Ian added: "If someone drinks one drink a day, one small drink every day of their life, they're most unlikely to run into harm. But if you are going out and having a lot to drink then you should perhaps rest your body."
The latest NHS figures showed that alcohol-related hospital admissions reached record levels last year.
More than a million people were admitted in 2009-10, compared with 945,500 in 2008-09 and 510,800 in 2002-03. Nearly two in three of those cases were men.
Hazardous drinking
In a written submission to MPs on the House of Commons' Science and Technology Committee, the RCP said government advice on sensible drinking limits should be regularly reviewed.
It said: "Government guidelines should recognize that hazardous drinking has two components: frequency of drinking and amount of drinking.
"To ignore either of these components is scientifically unjustified.
"A very simple addition would remedy this problem, namely a recommendation that to remain within safe limits of alcohol consumption that people have three alcohol-free days a week."
The RCP also quoted a recent report by the Royal College of Psychiatrists that recommended safe limits for drinking alcohol by older people should be drastically cut.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists suggested a "safe limit" for older people was 11 units per week for men and or seven units per week for women.
The RCP's submission to MPs added: "The current guidelines are based predominantly on evidence for younger age groups and there is concern that current guidelines are not appropriate for older people."
Speaking to the BBC News Channel after his address to the Royal College of GPs' conference in Liverpool, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said alcohol abuse needed to be addressed.
Kidney - an essential organ
The kidney is a complicated and amazing organ that performs numerous essential biological roles. The main job of your kidneys is to remove toxins and excess water from the blood. Kidneys also help to control BP, produce red blood cells and keep our bones healthy. Roughly the size of our fist, a kidney is located deep in the abdomen, beneath the rib cage. Kidneys control blood stream levels of many minerals and molecules, including sodium and potassium, and help control blood acidity. Every day our kidneys carefully control the salt and water in our body so that our BP remains the same.
Self-control on :
Smoking : It increase the risk of kidney cancer by about 50 per cent.
Pills : Do not take over-the-counter pills on a regular basis.
Consuming plenty of fluid helps the kidneys clear sodium, urea and toxins from the body.
researchers from Texas A&M University found that people with poor self-control were able to establish greater control when they paid close attention to the quantities of unhealthy foods they consumed because simply paying attention made them more quickly satisfied, the Journal of Consumer Research reported.
In one interesting study, a group of people were asked to eat either a healthy or an unhealthy snack. Some of them were asked to count how many times they swallowed while eating the snack, according to a Texas A&M statement.
People who counted the number of times they swallowed were satisfied more quickly even if they otherwise had a low level of self-control.
Monitoring how much they ate made consumers with low self-control behave like those with high self-control.
"One way is to keep better track of the quantity of unhealthy foods they eat," wrote authors Joseph P. Redden ( University of Minnesota) and Kelly L. Haws (Texas A&M University).
"Although self-control is typically viewed as a battle between willpower and desire, consumers can't rely entirely on willpower to control their eating. They also need to create situations that will make them lose interest in food," they concluded.
Smokers May Have More Sleep Problems: Study
Text Courtesy Reuters - Smokers may get fewer hours of sleep and have less restful slumber than non-smokers, according to a German study that looked at more than two thousand people. Researcher
Eating Wisely Linked to Self-Control
A new study suggests that people who successfully control their diet eat fewer unhealthy foods because they are satisfied sooner.
Some people can exercise real self-control when it comes to eating while others overindulge on unhealthy cookies and candies.
Avoid alcohol three days a week, doctors warn
Woman drinking a pint Drinking alcohol daily leads to a higher risk of liver disease, the Royal College of Physicians has warnedA night of drinking should be followed by two or three alcohol free days, doctors have advised.
The liver needs time to recover if people are consuming more than just a small alcoholic drink, the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has said.
Government advice is a maximum of 21 units per week for women and 28 for men - but the RCP said it should also take into account how often people drink.
The Department for Health said it had no plans to change its guidance.
Sir Ian Gilmore, special adviser on alcohol and former president of the RCP, told the BBC: "In addition to quantity, safe alcohol limits must also take into account frequency."
"There is an increased risk of liver disease for those who drink daily or near daily compared with those who drink periodically or intermittently."
"We recommend a safe alcohol consumption limit of between 0 and 21 units a week for men and 0 and 14 units a week for women provided the total amount is not drunk in one or two bouts and that there are two to three alcohol free days a week."
"At these levels, most individuals are unlikely to come to harm."
Sir Ian added: "If someone drinks one drink a day, one small drink every day of their life, they're most unlikely to run into harm. But if you are going out and having a lot to drink then you should perhaps rest your body."
The latest NHS figures showed that alcohol-related hospital admissions reached record levels last year.
More than a million people were admitted in 2009-10, compared with 945,500 in 2008-09 and 510,800 in 2002-03. Nearly two in three of those cases were men.
Hazardous drinking
In a written submission to MPs on the House of Commons' Science and Technology Committee, the RCP said government advice on sensible drinking limits should be regularly reviewed.
It said: "Government guidelines should recognize that hazardous drinking has two components: frequency of drinking and amount of drinking.
"To ignore either of these components is scientifically unjustified.
"A very simple addition would remedy this problem, namely a recommendation that to remain within safe limits of alcohol consumption that people have three alcohol-free days a week."
The RCP also quoted a recent report by the Royal College of Psychiatrists that recommended safe limits for drinking alcohol by older people should be drastically cut.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists suggested a "safe limit" for older people was 11 units per week for men and or seven units per week for women.
The RCP's submission to MPs added: "The current guidelines are based predominantly on evidence for younger age groups and there is concern that current guidelines are not appropriate for older people."
Speaking to the BBC News Channel after his address to the Royal College of GPs' conference in Liverpool, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said alcohol abuse needed to be addressed.
Kidney - an essential organ
The kidney is a complicated and amazing organ that performs numerous essential biological roles. The main job of your kidneys is to remove toxins and excess water from the blood. Kidneys also help to control BP, produce red blood cells and keep our bones healthy. Roughly the size of our fist, a kidney is located deep in the abdomen, beneath the rib cage. Kidneys control blood stream levels of many minerals and molecules, including sodium and potassium, and help control blood acidity. Every day our kidneys carefully control the salt and water in our body so that our BP remains the same.
Self-control on :
Smoking : It increase the risk of kidney cancer by about 50 per cent.
Pills : Do not take over-the-counter pills on a regular basis.
Consuming plenty of fluid helps the kidneys clear sodium, urea and toxins from the body.
